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Game Recap for Book 1, Chapter 17: The Sale
Chapter 17: The Sale Book 1: The Infestation Chapter 17: The Sale Players: Salvatore Characters: Sibastian Date: January 13, 2019 “Something terrible has happened! Father has revealed his plan to the Students, and some of them have refused, saying his path is evil. Father is wroth. Some of the Students have even begun killing Children or capturing us. I fear this will be my last message.” -Extracted by a Page of Dreams from a dying Archivist Source Unknown Humble beginnings was something both Sibastian and Jirinda had in common. A farm boy from the furthest reaches of civilization and a woman who had left a painful life in the south for hopefully something better in the north. Hopefully. Now they were going to enter a venue meant only for the wealthiest of merchants and all they had were the old clothes of a semi-well to do local merchant and their wits At the inn Sibastian and Jirinda prepared for the The Sale. The Igaren helped Sibastian put on a harness and scabbard that went down the middle of his back. In this scabbard she slid in the shortest rapier Sibastian had ever seen. As she worked, Jirinda spoke. “It is best that you do not speak to many people while we are there.” “Why?” Asked Sibastian. “Because your accent will give you away.” “Ah, yes.” “Also, there will be real Igaren merchants there. Stay as far away from them as you can. Even If you can fake the accent, you cannot fake the language. If those merchants come up to you and start speaking La Ling, our cover will be blown.” Dressed and ready, the two made their way to the Winter Hall. This time, with invite in hand, Sibastian did not have to wait six hours. Ushered into a feast hall the two heroes found themselves surrounded by the most elite merchants from the known world. There were merchants from every region of the former empire of Heorium such as the River Realm, the Heart, and Tel Avaswa. There were also Igaren with veiled faces, and easterners with designs painted on their foreheads. Trying to get more information and a feel for the room, the two walked around, Jirinda chatting about her fantasy retirement while Sibastian eavesdropped on conversations. There appeared to be nothing of concern with the guards or servants, however the merchants had nothing but complaints and gossip on this year’s sale. “I cannot believe The Sale is happening this late. Winter is here!” said an easterner. In another part of the room, an Igaren complained “I’ve been here for almost four months. Four months! By the time I get home I will have to return.” An hour into the party, an attendant announced the entrance of Lady Savika Yotsev, the daughter and heir of Lord Luvik. She strode into the room wearing a white dress, with pearls woven into her black wavy hair. The emblem of Winter Hall, a white twin peaked mountain on a brown background, was embroidered on her chest. Lady Savika made her way around the room, taking time to chat with each merchant, thanking them for coming and letting them know that her father would soon arrive. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the pair’s clothes. “This is the first time I have seen either of you. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?” Savika asked. Sibastian and Jirinda bowed in unison, but it was Jirinda who answered. “I am Jirinda and this is Usu.” An awkward silenced filled the air between the three, and Savika leaned in, as if expecting last names, or the name of their trading company. Getting nothing, the noble lady inquired, “And what is your relation to each other?” Again, Jirinda answered. “I am a merchant. And Usu is my financier. He is mute though, but his mind is a wonder with numbers.” “Ah, understandable. It is not easy to attend The Sale without backing. If you will excuse me, I will need to attend to the other guests.” Said Savika, Sibastian and Jirinda bowing as she departed. The party continued for another hour and a half, with the merchants growing agitated with every minute. It wasn’t until they had surrounded Lady Savika and peppered her with their complaints and protests that Lord Luvik Yotsev made his appearance. The room fell silent the moment he entered. “The Sale will begin.” The Lord of Winter Hall said. The guests were then escorted into another chamber with tables that had items that were covered in silk. Lord Luvik proceed to uncover each item, presenting the goods to his merchants. He offered the finest furs, precious jewels, and the purest metals, along with art, and deeds to parts of his lands. No one had said a single word since Luvik had announced that The Sale would begin, and even once he had finished presenting everything, there was still silence. At last the eldest of the Igaren merchants spoke. “Lord Luvik, what is this?” “These are the goods of this year’s Sale.” Replied Luvik. “We did not travel thousands of miles for these…trinkets. All of these items could have been bought in Habicule. Heck, we could have found them in Tel Avaswa.” “This is all there.” “Not it is not.” Chimed in the easterner with the most intricate forehead paint design. “You have your zoo. Open it to us.” Her suggestion was met with enthusiasm from the other merchants. Whispering to Sibastian, Jirinda asked, “Should I support trying to get access to the zoo?” To which Sibastian gave an emphatic nod. Jirinda was soon pressuring along with the others. At last Lord Luvik relented and the guests were ushered into Lord Yotsev’s zoo. As the doors to the zoo opened, the guests immediately noticed the warmth and light. Although night and late fall, the room was as warm as summer and as bright as day. Beautiful multi-colored birds and unknown animals were the first to be seen, which were quickly sold. Further in, they passed a pedestal with a tiny glowing stone. One of the merchants was about to inquire on it but Lord Luvik cut them off. “The sunstone is not for sale.” Continuing on, they encountered a plant with a giant mouth with prehensile vines which was sold after some negotiating and strong words of warning. Next was a monkey, that had developed a system of pulleys and machines using the natural plant materials of his cage. Bidding had begun when someone realized he had somehow gotten the keys to his cage. It was agreed that they would return to “Bartholomew” when the keys were retrieved. It was the last resident of the zoo that brought gasps. An antelope with the face of a human that had watched them approach, sentience shinning behind its eyes. “God have mercy on us.” Said someone. Grabbing a red-hot rod from a nearby brazier, Lord Luvik raddled the cage and said “Speak. Speak!” The being, sadness and pain on its face, at last said “Eo ael eo vir.” The merchants immediately began shouting offers. “50,000g!” “100,000g!” “250,000!” But the Lord of Winter Hall shook his head at each offer. Then he said, “1,000,000g”. A silence fell on the room as the price was set beyond the reach of all of the merchts. All, except one. The Igaren merchant said, “Ursula will pay that.” Luvik turned to look at her, thinking. His mouth opened to give a reply, but he was interrupted by the doors of the zoo bursting open revealing a group of rampaging tribesmen. The guards sprung to action to block the tribesmen’s path by engaging in battle. Sibastian ripped off his Igaren veil and said, “It is I, Sibastian, envoy of Icebridge. This is the threat all of the north faces! We need to stand together! All of us, we need to fight for our lives now!” With that, Sibastian ran to the gate of the antelope being, pulling the hidden rapier from his back. Reviewing the lock on the gate, the ranger realized the he would be unable to break it without immense effort. Instead, he turned and charged into battle. Jirinda lifted up her skirts and revealed a hand crossbow in a holster on her thigh. Taking it out, she joined the fight. The guards, Sibastian, and Jirinda fought for their lives and the lives of the others in the room. The tribesmen with melee weapons focused on the guards and Sibastian, but those with arrows shot arrows deeper into the zoo, seemingly focusing on Lord Luvik. Savika screamed as each arrow hit her father. The battle grew darker for the heroes as each guard fell to the axes and arrows of the tribesmen, and Jirinda ran out of crossbow bolts. Although Sibastian fought alone, surrounded by men who wanted to kill everyone in the room, his will to protect won the day and he brought each attacker down. Sibastian immediately ran over to Savika who was cradling her father in her arms. Checking Luvik for signs of life, the ranger confirmed that Luvik was dead. As Lady Savika mourned her father, the rest of the survivors planned their next steps. Not knowing if the rest of the town had fallen, the survivors piled the bodies, except Lord Luvik’s, against the doors to the zoo, so that no other tribesmen could get in. As they did, Sibastian went to the cage of the antelope being and began to beat at the lock. When he did, Lady Savika asked, “What are you doing?” Sibastian turned and saw Savika who was sitting next to the body of her father. Her eyes were red from crying and she looked tired. He left the cage and walked to her. “Lady Savika, please, this is a thinking, feeling being. It is in pain. Let us set it free.” Savika turned to look at the antelope creature and then back at Sibastian. She looked around the room then down at the face of her father. Wiping the tears from her eyes as she stood, Savika straightened her back and took a deep breath and said, “My father, Lord Luvik Yotsev is dead. As his daughter and heir, I am the Lady of Winter Hall, and it is to Winter Hall’s prosperity that I must think and plan. I am not deaf to it’s pain. However, now is not the time to decide such things and I cannot simply let my family’s legacy and possessions go.” Having waited several hours and hearing no fighting outside the doors, the group decided to leave the zoo. Each taking up a weapon from one of the fallen, Sibastian lead the way. The manor was a scene of horror and fighting. Tribesmen, guards and servants lay dead everywhere. Soon, they heard people speaking not in the language of the tribes, but one they could understand. Moving towards it, they encountered the guards of Winter Hall. “We have all been through something so horrible. Please accept my hospitality and be my guests until we can sort matters out.” Said Savika. Sibastian and Jirinda were then escorted to rooms by an armed guard who remained stationed right outside their door. When they tried to leave, the guard was immediately at attention. “May I help you?” asked the guard. “We were going to go to our inn to get our possessions.” Replied Sibastian. “As guests, perhaps it is best that you stay here, for your safety.” “Uh…what if you came with us?” The guard thought a moment, then nodded. The three then proceeded to go to the inn to retrieve Sibastian and Jirinda’s gear. Later, the Lady of Winter Hall summoned the envoy of Icebridge. “Will your associate be joining us?” asked the majordomo to Sibastian of Jirinda. “Yes. Yes she will.” Replied the ranger. The majordomo nodded and escorted the two to Lady Savika’s study. “Sibastian, Jirinda, thank you for staying.” Said Savika, ignoring the fact that the invite could not be refused. “The reality of The Sale is that our suppliers did not come this year. To all of the regular merchants, that was painfully clear when they saw our offerings. There is a system of tunnels that go through the White Mountains, and it is there that we meet our suppliers. However, they did not appear. Somehow, the tribesmen have found a means to use the tunnels to get through the mountains. We have had skirmishes with them, but nothing like the attack we just suffered.” Reaching into a box she pulled out a stack of burned maps. “Our ancestors had mapped the tunnels, and in the raid the tribesmen were able to burn much of our library along with our maps.” Savika was silent, as if she had forgotten there were others in the room, and she stared at the remains of the maps, just as she had stared at the body of her father. Coming back to herself, the Lady looked up at the envoy and said, “We have sent too many good men already and I will send no more. If you will go in and find a way to stop them, a choke point, then I shall give you an audience better than my father did.” “I will go.” Replied Sibastian. “On condition that Winter Hall and Icebridge support each other against the tribesmen. Also, that we discuss the future of the antelope.” “I cannot send troops to Icebridge as long as tribesmen are moving through the tunnels. It would create two fronts and leave us vulnerable. The antelope…we shall see. Rest for now, we shall equip you.” Said Lady Savika. With that the heroes returned to their rooms to rest before their descent into a place light did not touch… Experience: Sibastian Bernard: 250xp (time) + 333xp (tribesmen)= 583xp total